Recent papers authored by Dr. Maya Gross and the GRACE Center
Gynecologic Oncology fellow, Dr. Maya Gross, was first author on two papers recently published alongside her colleagues at the GRACE Center. Dr. Gross gave her thoughts below.
Risk factors for delayed diagnosis of endometrial cancer among black individuals: Results from the GUIDE-EC study
Why did you choose to research this topic?
Black patients with endometrial cancer have disproportionately advanced stage at diagnosis, which has been partially attributed to advanced stage at diagnosis. We aimed to identify factors which increase the odds of delayed diagnosis of EC
What do you consider the biggest takeaway from this paper?
20% of Black patients with endometrial cancer had a delay in diagnosis of more than one month from initial presentation. Having a preoperative ultrasound was most strongly associated with delay in diagnosis.
What do you see as the potential impact of this work?
This paper adds an additional layer to the growing body of work which has highlighted that ultrasound is not an optimal diagnostic tool in Black patients at risk for endometrial cancer, and that tissue sampling is a preferred initial testing modality.
Beyond Bleeding: An Analysis of Presenting Symptoms Among Black Patients with Endometrial Cancer
Why did you choose to research this topic?
Research on symptomatology for patients with Endometrial cancer has largely excluded Black patients; we aimed to describe symptom presentations for Black patients with endometrial cancer (EC), compared to Black patients undergoing hysterectomy for benign indications
What do you consider the biggest takeaway from this paper?
Symptom presentations between patients with EC and those with benign disease have significant overlap, and postmenopausal bleeding is rarely the only presenting symptom for Black patients with EC, who have high rates of concomitant benign uterine conditions (including fibroids).
What do you see as the potential impact of this work?
We hope that this work will highlight the complex presentation of Black patients with gynecologic conditions; as there is much overlap between benign and malignant symptom presentation, providers should avoid attributing symptoms to benign conditions without performing a thorough workup.